The Dangers of Belly Fat

Did you know that belly fat not only alters your physique, but it also poses a threat to your health? You should know that there is more to be learned about belly fat and it is far more dangerous than just affecting your self-esteem. If left unattended the bulge can be fatal. So let’s take a closer look at how fats detrimentally affect your health.

It is a fact that as we reach our thirties, our metabolism slows down. This is the reason why it is harder at this time to get rid of the fats or to tone down.

The Anatomy of Fat

Fats are not all that bad. They are in the body for the purpose of insulation. The fats that you accumulate during the summer season are there to keep you warm when winter comes and food is not that abundant.

This type of adipose tissues is what you call subcutaneous fats. They are those that are found underneath the skin and above the abdominal muscles. But there is also another kind of fat, and it is the one that grows around your internal organs. These are what you call visceral fats. This is the more dangerous kind and can lead to a myriad of diseases. We can say that fats in general are dangerous, but even more so when they build up in your belly.

How Do Belly Fats Come to Be?

One of the common causes of belly fat is an uncontrolled diet. When you just eat without inhibition and you pair that with a sedentary lifestyle, this just increases your chances of forming a belly bulge.

Stress is also a factor in increasing belly size. When you are exposed to chronic stress, your body releases the hormone cortisol which retains fat and gather them up in the midsection.

The same thing happens when women reach menopause. When the amount of estrogen decreases, the fat distribution in the body is altered and mainly focuses on the belly portion.

Disadvantages of Belly Fat

As we have mentioned earlier, visceral fats are found hugging your internal organs. Since fats are also able to penetrate these organs, they are then absorbed into the bloodstream. In addition to that belly fat also brings with it harmful toxins or inflammatory substances that are continuously released.

Over time you start to develop hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, sleep problems, cancer, stroke and a list of other degenerative diseases. This is evidenced by increased levels of C-reactive proteins, which is the precursor to the various health issues mentioned.

To make it more understood; let’s take diabetes as an example. These nasty belly fats can release free fatty acids which affects your body’s ability to release insulin. With that effect you eventually develop diabetes due to the inability of the body to control the sugar.

The reason also why some individuals are more at risk for developing more visceral fats than others is that they maintain a diet that is high in carbohydrates. This means that there is just too much starch and sugars in what they are eating.

Because of its close proximity with other vital organs, belly fat can really create a serious threat and can easily also damage its neighboring organs.

How to Lose Belly Fat?

Since belly fat gives rise to the most common health problems you can protect yourself from the problem through proper diet with the right portions and regular exercise. Relieve yourself from anything that is causing you chronic stress and learn to adapt a positive and healthier lifestyle.

For women it should be that their waistlines should not measure 35 inches or more, and 40 inches or more for men. If so, this would be a cause for concern and would easily attract the various diseases we’ve mentioned earlier.

The dangers of belly fat is not only limited to concerns about one’s self-esteem, but more importantly it greatly affects physical health. So if you want to improve your condition make a conscious effort to make a lifestyle change. Through that you improve your looks and save your life!